Proverbs 1 Footnotes

1:19 Critics claim that statements such as v. 19 are not actually true. But these critiques reflect a failure to understand ancient proverbs and the world in which they functioned. Proverbial material deals with the general and usual principles of life, rather than presenting invariable laws. Careful observation of life, both ancient and modern, supports the general truth of statements such as v. 19. Though it is not the focus of OT Wisdom literature, it should also be noted that God’s justice will ultimately prevail, and the inequities that are a part of life in a fallen world will be finally rectified.

1:20-33 Wisdom is available to anyone who seeks it, as 2:1-5 and 8:17 make clear. To get wisdom the disciple must choose wisdom and the fear of the Lord (1:23,33). Those who reject wisdom and refuse her invitation (vv. 24-25,29-30) will reach a point of no return where the consequences of their folly are inevitable and inescapable. Wisdom’s response in vv. 26 and 28 does not conflict with the idea that those who seek wisdom will find it. The context makes it clear that the difficulties described here result from peoples’ failure to seek wisdom and their rejection of it.

These verses reflect the wisdom doctrine of retribution: people reap what they sow, and often in proportion to what they sow. In v. 26 wisdom responds in kind to those who mocked her when she spoke from the entrance of the city gates. Her response in v. 28 reflects the reality that there are consequences to behaviors that are not turned aside, even by repentance. While clearly recognizing the sovereign providence of God (16:9), Proverbs also describes people as able to make genuine choices and as being responsible for the outcomes of those choices.